Opinions On Goat Breeds

[OneFineAcre]

I am leaning toward ND. I've read their milk is known to be very good, they are pretty availiable in my area, and they are just so darn cute!!!!!!! How big of a shed/stall would 2 need?

A lot of people ask opinions about breeds on this site. Most people talk up the breed they own, which is good. It makes sense that you can speak fondly of the animals you own. But, since you are leaning towards ND's I can defintely say that they would be a good choice.

I own Nigerians. Their milk is very good. The fat content also makes it very good for making cheese. We make several kinds, but mostly a soft chevre just because it is the simplest and it freezes well.

Plus, they have the best feed conversion ratio of any dairy goats (feed input for milk output)

They are very sweet anmals as well.

Maybe 8x8 would be good size? I forgot what you need for two, it's been years since I only had 3 which is what we started with.

We bought 3 doelings 4 years ago. Then we got a buck. You know what happened then

We have 23 now and that is after I sold 4 this past weekend. I have 5 I am going to put for sale because I have 5 does kidding in August.

I am trying to convince myself, 2, only 2. HA good luck with that. I am %100 positive I will be getting NDs now. I am so excited! But I will be waiting until next spring. It seems so far away! Oh, do you think a 18" by 36" milking stand will be big enough for ND does?

I think 3 is better. More of a herd.
There is a plan on Fiasco farms website for building a milkstand. You will have to adjust the height of the head gate for ND
The platform is bigger than 18x36. I can't remember the exact dimensions, it's probably 36" long but it is definitely wider than 18"

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

A lot of people ask opinions about breeds on this site. Most people talk up the breed they own, which is good. It makes sense that you can speak fondly of the animals you own. But, since you are leaning towards ND's I can defintely say that they would be a good choice.

I own Nigerians. Their milk is very good. The fat content also makes it very good for making cheese. We make several kinds, but mostly a soft chevre just because it is the simplest and it freezes well.

Plus, they have the best feed conversion ratio of any dairy goats (feed input for milk output)

They are very sweet anmals as well.

Maybe 8x8 would be good size? I forgot what you need for two, it's been years since I only had 3 which is what we started with.

We bought 3 doelings 4 years ago. Then we got a buck. You know what happened then

We have 23 now and that is after I sold 4 this past weekend. I have 5 I am going to put for sale because I have 5 does kidding in August.

I am trying to convince myself, 2, only 2. HA good luck with that. I am %100 positive I will be getting NDs now. I am so excited! But I will be waiting until next spring. It seems so far away! Oh, do you think a 18" by 36" milking stand will be big enough for ND does?

I think 3 is better. More of a herd.
There is a plan on Fiasco farms website for building a milkstand. You will have to adjust the height of the head gate for ND
The platform is bigger than 18x36. I can't remember the exact dimensions, it's probably 36" long but it is definitely wider than 18"

would 18" be wide enough for a ND? Or should I try and find a wider platform?

 

[OneFineAcre]

I am trying to convince myself, 2, only 2. HA good luck with that. I am %100 positive I will be getting NDs now. I am so excited! But I will be waiting until next spring. It seems so far away! Oh, do you think a 18" by 36" milking stand will be big enough for ND does?

I think 3 is better. More of a herd.
There is a plan on Fiasco farms website for building a milkstand. You will have to adjust the height of the head gate for ND
The platform is bigger than 18x36. I can't remember the exact dimensions, it's probably 36" long but it is definitely wider than 18"

would 18" be wide enough for a ND? Or should I try and find a wider platform?

18" is kind of thin.

 

[ArtisticFarmer]

I think 3 is better. More of a herd.
There is a plan on Fiasco farms website for building a milkstand. You will have to adjust the height of the head gate for ND
The platform is bigger than 18x36. I can't remember the exact dimensions, it's probably 36" long but it is definitely wider than 18"

would 18" be wide enough for a ND? Or should I try and find a wider platform?

18" is kind of thin.

Ok, I'll get a bigger one. Thanks.

 

[Tiss]

One thing to think about with the ND's is teat size. Sometimes they can be hard to hand milk. My mini-mancha has tiny teats and is much harder to milk than my standard Lamanchas and Alpines.

I like the Lamancha milk the best but I'm happy for the volume of milk the Alpines give. Lamancha milk goes on my cereal, Alpine gets made into cheese and yogurt around here.

 

[RamblingCowgirl]

I love ND's and Minis!!!
If you go with the right lines some of those ND girls are packing in the whole teats/udders department. I had one who as a FF had the same teat size as some standards. I did have some ND/Pygmy crosses that teat size was an issue. I think leaving the kids on the doe helps stretch them out. Kid stays with mama for 2 weeks, then you separate them at night and only milk in the morning until the babies are weaned. I understand that does not work for everyone, but that's how I like to do it.
I know it's hard to do, but take your time looking before you buy I'd also advise stocking up on wormer, copper, other minerals and any thing else you can think of before you bring them home. Saves you from having to hunt it down when you need it. And if you go with kids be sure they have been treated for coccidiosis, it's a life saver. I agree with what someone else said, 3 is better then 2.
And they seem to like a wider stand, seems to make them feel more comfortable.
Fiasco Farms has and awesomely useful site!

 

[WyoNubian]

If we ever get another breed, I think it might be NDs or LaManchas. I have girly hands (small, but with long fingers), so teat size isn't too much of a problem.

We have three Nubians, one milker we just got this past week, and two doelings that we have had for two months. I love them. I was out in a canvas chair in their shed today, and before I left, all three were laying on the ground around my chair just chewing their cud and looking for attention. Bree, the milker, is slightly vocal, but we also think she MAY be in a light heat cycle right now. Bree is a lovely goat, BTW, and I just made some blueberry icecream from her milk this morning (today is the hubby's birthday, he requested German chocolate cake, and I decided to use up some blueberries and make ice cream to go with it). The kids love her milk on their cereal. I had to gripe them out earlier for using too much milk, because I needed it for making ice cream, and they kinda went heavy on their cereal this morning.